In Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are two very different personalities who share certain commonalities and goals for their family of five girls. However, they also seem to have a difference of opinion as to whether they should be looking for wealthy single men who would be available to marry one of their single daughters. The interaction between these two characters during the opening chapters of the novel provide a background for a humorous look at how men and women might approach the marriage subject in different ways. As was the custom of the day, in order to meet someone of a higher class, the head of the household must make a formal visit to the higher class person. Mrs. Bennet nags her husband in to doing just that,but Mr. Bennet is not going to do so without having a little fun with Mrs. Bennet first. We see examples of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s difference in personalities in the opening scene, after Mr. Bennet had visited Mr. Darcy, and a discussion of their daughters’ silliness. Mr. Bennet has a wonderful way of handling life’s matters and is a great example of a model father and husband.
After twenty-three years of marriage one would like to think that Mrs. Bennett would understand Mr. Bennet’s humor and sarcasm, but unfortunately for her, she does not. While she is emphatically explaining the situation of the two men to Mr. Bennet, he pretends not to know the significance of her suggestion. This is shown when Mrs. Bennet says, “A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!” and Mr. Bennet replies, “How so? How can that affect them?” Mrs. Bennet truly believes that her husband does not know how this can affect their daughters.
As much as Mrs. Bennet pleaded with Mr. Bennet to go and visit with their new neighbors, he would not assure her that he would go and suggested that she should go instead. Mr. Bennet had always intended on making the trip, but Mrs. Bennet was...